Thursday, January 01, 2004

In several of the Sword of Lyric books, there is mention of a table game using black and white stones, called "Perish."

Here are the rules, so you can try this deceptively simple strategy game.

Game Pieces: 12 black stones and 12 white stones.

Set Up: Stones are set up in four rows of six stones. Stones should alternate colors.

R1: B W B W B W

R2: W B W B W B

R3: B W B W B W

R4: W B W B W B

Game Play: Opponents take turns switching two neighboring stones either horizontally or vertically. Stones that are diagonal cannot be switched, and once two stones are switched, the same two stones cannot be switched again for at least one turn.

For example: B W B W B W could become W B B W B W

Object: The object of the game is to surround one of your opponent’s stones completely with your stones. This means that all four sides of the stone are completely surrounded.

For example:

R1: B W W W B B

R2: B W B W B B

R3: B W W W B B

R4: W B W B W W

Here is an image of a game where white has just made the winning move and surrounded a black piece:

Variation 1: (Short Perish) - "Surround" the opposing player's piece by positioning your pieces at four corners around their piece - rather than completely surrounding them.